Myvatn was notable for the pseudocraters, formed through a geological process I cannot hope to explain. While the scale of the area is awe inspiring, I wasn't as taken with the place as I had been with Goðafoss. This, I think, was partly down to the weather, cold, bleak, raining and utterly miserable. The landscape seemed drab in such conditions, and didn't fill me with the same feelings the falls had. Maybe I'm doing Myvatn a disservice, but it wasn't the highlight of the sojourn in the north of the country.

Horses on ice... The Icelandic horse, snow and ice are all fascinating phenomena you can come across at Lake Mývatn on the horseman´s weekend. Every year in the beginning of march is Myvatn open (horseman´s weekend). Myvatn open is a horse show on lake Myvatn ( the lake is frozen this time a year. it is amazing, seeing these beutiful horses tölting on ice in good weather. There are not many places in the world where you can take part in or watch horse racing on ice. The tournaments "tölt" and pace open (skeið) are available both for professionals riders and amateurs. I have been there for few years and I guess I will go every year and maybe one day Ill compete :) riding on ice is very different from riding on "dry land" like roads, the horses watch their step in every step so they will not fall... I have never tryed Myvatn but when I lived in Vopnafjordur we went almost daily to the lake there when it was cold enough the horses have special long ice-nails in their horeseshoes so they will not fall, but it does happen if they go very fast and slow down quickly. There are few lakes used for horses and lake Myvatn is the biggest one and I have to say for my parts it is one of the most beutiful areas in Iceland and is ideal for winter activities as well as summer visits I like horses and I like icelandic nature so this week is one of my fav :)

Þorri is one of the old Icelandic months. It always begins on a Friday, between the 19th and the 25th of January, and ends on a Saturday between the 18th and 24th of February. The first day of Þorri is called Bóndadagur or "Husband's Day/Farmer's Day", and  is dedicated to men (formerly only farmers). In my family (and many others) , the women bring the men breakfast in bed on this day - just as the men will do on Konudagur - Woman's Day (if they know what's good for them). Many women will give their husbands flowers as well. This is a fairly new custom, introduced by flower shops in order to sell more roses. (Now they are trying import Valentine's Day for the same reason).

The tradition of a Þorri feast is an ancient one. It has its roots in old midwinter feasts, Þorrablót, which the advent of Christianity could not quite abolish, although the way in which it is celebrated has changed. This month falls on the coldest time of the winter, and therefore it is no surprise that Þorri has become a personification of King Winter. He is usually portrayed as an old man, tall and grizzled, who is as cruel to those who disrespect him as he is gentle to those who show him respect. Some have suggested that the month is named after the legendary king who united Norway into one country. Others think it is derived from the name of the thunder-god Þór (Thor), and that this was his feast during the pre-Christian era in Iceland.

Whatever the origin of the feast of Þorri, it is today a standard part of the Icelandic social calendar, and has even been exported to many countries which have ex-pat Icelandic populations (often to the utter dismay of foreign friends and spouses). The eating habits of the Icelandic nation have changed a lot in the last hundred years or so, and it is only during Þorri that many people will eat the old-fashioned food. As this feast takes place in the middle of winter, it is no surprise that most of the food served at the feasts is preserved in some way: by pickling in whey, salting, smoking, drying or putrefying. 

A typical Þorrablót takes place at any time during Þorri. The season for it now extends into the following month, Góa, but the feast is then usually dubbed Góugleði. It is advisable to hold it on a Friday or Saturday night, to give the participants time to recover from the effects of overeating and heavy drinking that goes with a good Þorrablót. The form the feast takes is similar everywhere, the indispensable ingredients being merrymaking and lots of  food. Additional ingredients are staged entertainment (often a cabaret or revue), dancing and lots of alcohol. 

The traditional method of serving the food in deep wooden trays is these days usually only extended as far as the buffet, ordinary plates taking their place at the table, and cutlery taking the place of the traditional sharp knife and the diner's bare hands. 

During the month of þorri, þorri buffets are quite popular in Iceland where many restaurants in Reykjavík and elsewhere serve þorramatur which is almost always served on wooden platters, called trog (trough). At these gatherings, Icelandic Brennivín is often consumed in copious amounts.

Traditional Appetizers: 

Shark, served in small cubes. It is prepared by burying it for several weeks, and then hanging it up and allowing it to dry. The semi-opaque flesh of the belly is called glerhákarl (glassy shark), and is not nearly as popular as the skyrhákarl, which is flesh from the body of the fish. Skyrhákarl draws it's name from its resemblance in appearance to the Icelandic curds called skyr . The tough glerhákarl is recommended for beginners, as the soft skyrhákarl has been known to cause an involuntary gagging reaction due to its texture. Wash down with a shot of cold Brennivín . Believe it or not, this is actually good for the digestion - especially before eating the heavy Þorri food. 

Harðfiskur: Dried fish, usually haddock, cod or catfish, beaten to soften it. Delicious with or without butter. In old times Harðfiskur was eaten like bread in those homes that could only afford flour for baking on special occasions. It is still Iceland's favourite snack, and a popular travel food.

Modern Entrées: At many Þorri feasts there is now offered a wide variety of entrées, usually food that can be found in a typical Scandinavian Julefrokost (Christmas buffet): marinated herring (both plain and in several different kinds of sauce), smoked salmon and graflax.  

Main courses: 

This is where the menu begins to get really interesting. Almost everything you find on a typical Þorri buffet is made from lamb or mutton, with a few exceptions. The food can be separated into two categories: sour and non-sour. The sour food has been pickled in extra strong skyrmysa (whey) for several weeks. The trick is to get it sour enough to tell where it's been, but not so sour that you can't tell what it is. Most of the sour food is also served non-sour.  In the old days, sour milk was sometimes uses instead of mysa.
 

Sour only:

Hrútspungar or pressed sheep's testicles. Has little taste of it's own, and a texture reminiscent of pressed cod roe.

Hvalspik or whale blubber. This became hard to find after the parliament passed a law forbidding whaling several years ago. It has made a small comeback recently, due to the Norwegians lifting their whaling ban and selling the blubber to Iceland. Fresh whale blubber is stringy and tough, but pickling it makes it soft and more easily digestible.

Lundabaggar - This is a tough one to explain - it is made from secondary meats, like colons and other such stuff, rolled up, boiled, pickled and sliced. Usually very fat.

Bringukollar - breast meat. These are cuts of really fat meat on the bone, which have been boiled before pickling. As the name suggests, these pieces come from the breast of the animal.

Selshreifar - seal's flippers. These are rare, except at some family feasts where the participants have hunted the seals themselves.

Hvalllíki or fake whale blubber. This was invented after the whaling ban. It is made from fish, and has a colour and texture reminiscent of the real thing, but an entirely different taste. Has become a Þorri staple for many, and is by some preferred over the real thing.

Sour and non-sour:

Slátur. Of this there are two types: Lifrarpylsa or liver sausage and Blóðmör or blood sausage, cooked before pickling. Both are quite good when fresh, but take on wholly different taste when pickled, which people either love or loathe (I happen to like it). Both contain rye meal, which contributes to the souring process and creates a special kind of taste that's hard to describe. Both are quite firm when fresh, but will take on a crumbly texture after extended pickling. These can actually be pickled in water, as the rye meal causes a souring action similar to whey.

Sviðasulta - sheep's head jam. This is quite good when pickled, and delicious fresh. It is made by cutting up the meat from cooked sheep's heads (svið), pressing into moulds and cooling. The cooking liquid turns into jelly when cold, and keeps the whole thing together. For a further explanation of svið, see below.

Svínasulta, or spiced pigs' head jam. A recent addition to the Þorri table, probably borrowed from the Danish. Tastes much better fresh than pickled.

Lappir and/or Fótasulta - sheep's legs and sheep's leg jam. This is a rare sight, both due to the effort it takes to produce the jam, and the fact that the slaughterhouses are required to throw the legs away. Therefore only available where people do their own butchering

Non-sour:

Hangikjöt - Literally "hung meat". This usually refers to smoked lamb or mutton, although smoked horse-meat is also called hangikjöt. This is one of those courses that are eaten outside the Þorri season as well, and is really delicious. Many families (mine included) serve hangikjöt for Christmas.

Magálar - heavily smoked sheep's bellies. Eaten like hangikjöt.

Svið - singed sheep's heads. The name refers to the tradition of burning away all the hair from the head before cooking. This gives the meat a smoky flavour. The heads are cut in half lengthwise and the brains removed before cooking. Like hangikjöt, this is also quite a popular dish outside the Þorri season.

Side dishes:

Kartöflustappa- mashed potatoes.

Rófustappa - mashed rutabagas. These are boiled until soft, mashed and sweetened with sugar.

Flatbrauð- flat bread, served with butter.

Rúgbrauð- rye bread. Dark (almost black) "thunder-bread" served with butter. Top with pickled herring for an entrée, eat on the side with the main courses.

Drinks:

Brennivín - caraway schnapps, locally known as Svartidauði - "Black Death". These days many people will rather drink vodka and/or whisky - which they claim taste better.

Mysa - whey. Yes, it can also be drunk. Before the arrival of carbonated beverages, this was the refreshment of choice. Unfortunately, it is not much used as a drink anymore.  The taste? It is reminiscent of dry white wine, and mysa can actually be used instead of white wine in cooking, without anyone noticing the difference.

Bjór - beer, and it's relatives, Malt (brown ale) and Lageröl (pale ale). During the beer-less years (several decades), the only ale allowed in Iceland was the low-alcohol Malt and Lageröl. Since we have been allowed to drink beer again, it has become "the drink" for many at Þorrablót feasts. These days you can even buy special Þorri beer.

Soft drinks - for those who don't like ale or strong spirits.

Stuff that is sometimes served, but shouldn't be:

Many people, especially young people, don't like the Þorri food, but like to participate in the Þorrablót. In order to accommodate these unfortunate people, non-Þorri food is sometimes served, like I brought chicken, haha

There is a recently established League Against Spoiled Food (Samtök gegn skemmdum mat) which dedicates itself to fighting against the eating of whey-pickled food, skate and skark. In my opionon, they should count themselves lucky to have been born in the 20th century, when they at least have a choice as to what they eat, a luxury our ancestors didn't have. The old-fashioned" food of today is much healthier than the same kind of food used to be. Here I am not just referring to the traditional Þorri food, but also for example to sour and mouldy butter, rotting meat and bread with lots of extra proteins due to maggots and insects in the flour. People had no choice but to eat this kind of food, or else starve.

Mývatn Nature Baths Iceland´s newest geothermal spa Opened on the 30th of June 2004, Mývatn Nature Baths is the latest addition to the region´s many visitor attractions. Already during the first three months, 30 thousand guests have visited the Nature Baths and we are looking forward to welcoming 60 thousand in 2005. No matter the season, Mývatn offers something for everyone. Despite its northerly location, the region enjoys a temperate climate, and the long summer days when darkness never comes can be surprisingly warm. As summer merges into autumn, the landscape becomes a panoramic patchwork dotted with shades of gold and brown, while winter brings its own tapestry of snow, sparkling frosts, and frequent opportunities to enjoy the unforgettable splendour of the Northern Lights. I try to visit Jardbodin everytime I go to Myvatn, it is so relaxing. A designated nature reserve, Mývatn is an area of fragile beauty where tourist services have been developed in such a way as to cause as little disruption as possible to what is a unique and highly delicate ecosystem. Drawing on a centuries-old tradition, the tastefully designed complex offers bathers a completely natural experience that begins with a relaxing dip amidst clouds of steam rising up from a fissure deep in the Earth´s surface, and ends with a luxurious swim in a pool of geothermal water drawn from depths of up to 2.500 metres. Containing a unique blend of minerals, silicates and geothermal microorganisms, the warm, soothing waters of Mývatn Nature Baths are beneficial to skin and spirit alike, creating a sense of wellbeing which lingers on as a lasting memory of your visit to this spellbinding area at Europe´s outer limits. Facilities on offer include a reception area and cafeteria, changing rooms (inside and outside) and showers for up to 120 guests, three natural steam baths accommodating up to 50 bathers at a time, and a 5000m2 geothermal bathing pool maintained at a constant temperature of 38-40ºC.

Next morning the first thing we visit is Godafoss. The waterfall near Akureyri right next to the main street is quite impressiv. The history tells, that as the nation became christian the people put all the other religion stuff into the waterfall.

After that we arrive at our next hotel, in the middle of nowhere. We just put in our bagage and drive on to the Myvatn. This area with Lake Myvatn is very special. Her you have one pseudocrater next to the other, vulcanos, lavafields, fields where steam comes out of the earth and it smells like in hell. You can really see that the earth is still alive, just great!

We stay 2 days here and on the second day we climb up Hverfjall (an vulcano, 46m high). The view from the top is wunderful.